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Buffalo Burgers

Buffalo Burgers with caramelized onions. The ground buffalo is flavored with onion, rosemary, thyme and Worcestershire sauce. And with a dressing of BBQ sauce, ketchup and mayo, you’ve got a delicious version for a lower cholesterol burger.

I’ve always said that if I had to kill my own food, I’d be a vegetarian.

I’ve also always claimed that if I were a vegetarian I’d miss hamburgers so much that I’d kill a cow to get one, if I had to.

For Buffalo burgers??? I’ll leave the killing of a bison to the experts. I don’t even think a konk on the head with my cast iron skillet would cause them to blink an eye. Have you ever seen one of those things in real life?

They snort and they’re big as all get out. They’re the bulldogs of the bovine world.

Did you know that there are about 500,000 bison in the United States and many thousands of them are right here in the Rocky Mountain region of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming?

Yes, I live in the Wild West and we have a small herd just a few miles south of Highlands Ranch and here’s a picture of my neighbors.

I’d like to introduce you to (from left to right) that’s Bill, Joe and little Joey Jr….

Did you know that buffalo is lower in fat and cholesterol than beef, pork and chicken and even half the fat of turkey?

Ground buffalo is so lean you may need to turn your skillet down or spray it with non-stick spray.

4 tips for cooking buffalo:

Lower heat

Cook slower

Think Pink

Don’t overcook

I rarely eat buffalo and honestly am not all that crazy about the idea of killing these majestic animals. I did buy ground buffalo meat for this recipe. If you’ve never eaten Buffalo, the taste is very similar to beef.

This recipe is a combination of great flavors that would work well for turkey burgers or hamburgers and the sauce would work in many situations. I also liked the Marsala Wine method for the caramelized onions. These burgers would be best grilled, but my Weber is still in hibernation, so I pan fried them in my cast iron skillet.

For the burgers: Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onions and sauté, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until softened; set aside to cool. In a large bowl, combine egg, rosemary, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, salt and pepper, Mix in cooled onion and buffalo meat Shape mixture into four ½ inch thick patties. Chill up to 6 hours.

When ready to cook burgers, cook patties for about 5 minutes per side in a little olive oil in a cast iron skillet (or grill).

To build your burger: Spread sauce on toasted buns and serve remaining sauce on the side for dipping. Place patties on bun and garnish with lettuce and tomato and caramelized onions.

3.1.09

Beer Pairing: Lightly malted Colorado Golden Ale

Wine Pairing: Malbec from Argentina would have the red and black fruits and the body to go well with the buffalo burger.

I’m certainly not an expert on cooking buffalo meat. Did a little research and here are my sources:

Comments

You know, I never heard of bison being sold in the grocery stores until I moved to TN. I’ve been skeptical, but many have told me how good the meat tastes and how lean it is. After reading your post and drooling over your gorgeous pictures, you have tempted me beyond redemption! I have to try this!

Beautiful post – the carmelized onions sound like a great addition to a burger of any kind! I love buffalo meat. They are pretty plentiful up here, too, with wild herds around Yellowstone. They even have buffalo meat at our little grocery! I love that it’s leaner than beef, but just as tasty. Also, I ADORE the little cobalt footed sauce bowl. You just put that in there to tease me, didn’t you?

Good looking burger. Back in my skiing days, we used to stop off at the Buffalo Restaurant & Bar, in Idaho Springs, for a little bison. I think I’ve had burgers, prime rib, and Philly cheese steak, and liked them all.

This looks wonderful! I haven’t had buffalo since our last visit to Catalina Island (film studios took a few over to make westerns, and they’ve naturalized… the Conservancy now maintains the herd). I’ll have to make some just to taste the memories. Thanks for a great post!

We have buffalo meat at our local food market. It is priced competitive with beef burgers. I think it tastes great.

I am not a hunter, but I think it might be a kick, to get naked except for the loin cloth, take a running start and jump on a horse and shoot a big ole buffalo with a bow and arrow. Naw, I am just going to Safeway.

A friend of my husband has a family farm somewhere in Kansas (no, I have no idea where) that has a herd of buffalo. He has always said that if we want, he could have one butchered for us. Except I think I would need a much, much bigger freezer. And a much, much bigger wallet. It sure is tempting though!

I tried it about a year ago. The leanness of the meat caused me concern so I mixed it with some beef. I wasn’t crazy about it. I ALMOST bought a buffalo tenderloin but at the time it was more than double the cost of a beef one (I think it was ~$140.)

My favorite part of the buffalo is their wings. Taste just like chicken.

I usually stick with pigs, cows and chickens. I have heard that buffalo is good, but I just can’t do it. Your burgers look great. I am having burgers next week – I might try this recipe with just plain ol’ cow instead of buffalo. Great Post!

I’m a fifth generation Wyoming rancher who has switched part of our ranch to buffalo. Thanks for helping the cause with the recipe. I’m not crazy about killing these majestic animals either. But by making it economically viable, the marketplace can keep a beautiful herd of 200 animals roaming free over 5000 unfenced acres on my small part of Wyoming.

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Cooking On The Ranch. I love cooking
and wine, and love talking about
cooking and wine. My name is Lea Ann, I live in Colorful Colorado and focus on Western, Southwestern and Mexican food. [read more]